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Free, publicly-accessible full text available November 1, 2024
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Abstract Aims Latitudinal gradients in plant communities are well studied, yet how these fundamental ecological patterns influence ecosystem recovery after extreme weather events remains largely unknown. In coastal foredunes, we investigated how the cover of a key dune‐building grass (
Uniola paniculata ), vegetation diversity and vegetation cover vary along a short latitudinal gradient during recovery from hurricane disturbance.Location Southeastern USA.
Methods We surveyed 24 sites, from central Florida to north Georgia (>400 km), four times over 18 months. General linear mixed‐effect models were used to unravel patterns of vegetation responses across latitude.
Results Vegetation properties showed countervailing patterns across the latitudinal gradient. While vegetation richness, functional diversity and total cover generally declined,
Uniola cover increased with increasing latitude. Further, the latitude–richness relationship strengthened while the latitude–functional diversity relationship was invariant with increasing time since the hurricane disturbance. Meanwhile, the latitude–Uniola association was seasonally dependent and strongest in the summer. Latitude also influenced diversity–cover relationships: vegetation cover was positively related to species richness at lower latitudes, while it was positively associated with functional diversity only at northern sites. We found no relationship between species richness or functional diversity and increases in cover between time steps; however, recruitment of new species and functional groups was associated with increases in vegetation cover between time steps at northern sites.Conclusions Our study highlights the temporal dynamism and contrasting patterns along latitudinal gradients exhibited by key engineering species and overall plant diversity in foredunes — a crucial line of coastal protection — exposed to hurricane disturbances. These results suggest a need for greater integration of latitudinal and diversity effects into our understanding of coastal dune resilience. They also highlight the potential benefits of enhancing dune plant biodiversity, particularly in areas where the dune‐building grasses that are classically employed in restoration (e.g.,
Uniola ) are unfavoured, to accelerate the re‐establishment of well‐vegetated dunes. -
Distribution of Earth’s biomes is structured by the match between climate and plant traits, which in turn shape associated communities and ecosystem processes and services. However, that climate–trait match can be disrupted by historical events, with lasting ecosystem impacts. As Earth’s environment changes faster than at any time in human history, critical questions are whether and how organismal traits and ecosystems can adjust to altered conditions. We quantified the relative importance of current environmental forcing versus evolutionary history in shaping the growth form (stature and biomass) and associated community of eelgrass ( Zostera marina ), a widespread foundation plant of marine ecosystems along Northern Hemisphere coastlines, which experienced major shifts in distribution and genetic composition during the Pleistocene. We found that eelgrass stature and biomass retain a legacy of the Pleistocene colonization of the Atlantic from the ancestral Pacific range and of more recent within-basin bottlenecks and genetic differentiation. This evolutionary legacy in turn influences the biomass of associated algae and invertebrates that fuel coastal food webs, with effects comparable to or stronger than effects of current environmental forcing. Such historical lags in phenotypic acclimatization may constrain ecosystem adjustments to rapid anthropogenic climate change, thus altering predictions about the future functioning of ecosystems.more » « less
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While considerable evidence exists of biogeographic patterns in the intensity of species interactions, the influence of these patterns on variation in community structure is less clear. Studying how the distributions of traits in communities vary along global gradients can inform how variation in interactions and other factors contribute to the process of community assembly. Using a model selection approach on measures of trait dispersion in crustaceans associated with eelgrass ( Zostera marina ) spanning 30° of latitude in two oceans, we found that dispersion strongly increased with increasing predation and decreasing latitude. Ocean and epiphyte load appeared as secondary predictors; Pacific communities were more overdispersed while Atlantic communities were more clustered, and increasing epiphytes were associated with increased clustering. By examining how species interactions and environmental filters influence community structure across biogeographic regions, we demonstrate how both latitudinal variation in species interactions and historical contingency shape these responses. Community trait distributions have implications for ecosystem stability and functioning, and integrating large-scale observations of environmental filters, species interactions and traits can help us predict how communities may respond to environmental change.more » « less
